Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Pours black with a small off-white head; decent lacing and retention. The aromas are subtle, but enjoyable. Chocolate malts seem to dominate with hints of cinnamon and spices in the background. Tha flavors are bold and extremely roasty. There's a nice amout of char. The pumpkin spices are definitely there and enjoyable, but seem dominated by the dark chocolates. Slightly smoky. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and has active carbonation. Smooth drinking.

This is a nice stout. It really hits the spot during the autumn season. (567 characters)

Described as "Jet black in color with rich chocolate and roasted malt flavors. Brewed once a year with Ohio pumpkins,Belgian dark chocolate and delicately spiced."

8.0% ABV, 20 IBU.

This beer looks great in the pint glass. It's a black color with a touch of red at the very bottom edges of the glass. There's a big, fluffy off-wite head and some nice lace is left behind on the glass. A great looking pumpkin stout.

Pumpkin Chucker has a great nose, but it could be a touch more expressive. That being said, there's some great deep, dark Belgian chocolate notes that set the stage with some bittersweet impressions. The best part of this beer is how balanced the chocolate and spices are. There's notes of cinnamon and ginger that add depth but don't overwhelm the chocolate or sweet kiss of malt underneath. I'd love it if both the chocolate and spice were dialed up a bit, but this shows nice balance despite that unnecessary restraint.

The taste is really nice, but again I'd like to see more intensity. What we do have is a great chocolate malt base with just a touch of sweet caramelized malt. The pumpkin flesh doesn't make an impression on my palate, but the cinnamon and ginger add excellent accents to the flavor profile. I'm not sure if more spice would be the answer as I like the fact that this avoids the "pumking" phenomena of over-flavoring, but I still think Midnight Sun's TREAT Chocolate Imperial Porter takes this idea and executes better. Still, a very enjoyable and flavorful beer with the right amount of chocolate, spice, sweetness and just a hint of short-lived bitterness.

The mouthfeel is surprisingly thin for an 8.0% stout, let alone one that proudly claims to have lactose sugar in the mix. The beer is thin and too carbonated. It's a stout that drinks like a lighter porter. I'd like more creaminess and substantiality to the body. That aside, this is an excellent seasonal and one I liked so much I bought a growler for Thanksgiving. Good one, guys, just kick up the body on your stouts! (2,085 characters)